Four arrested on charges of damage to essential infrastructure in North West

19 December 2022 - 20:33 By TimesLIVE
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Police in North West arrested four men on charges of tampering with and damaging essential infrastructure. Stock photo.
Police in North West arrested four men on charges of tampering with and damaging essential infrastructure. Stock photo.
Image: 123RF/Allan Swart

Police in the North West’s Dr Kenneth Kaunda district municipality arrested four men for allegedly tampering with and damaging essential infrastructure last week.

In the first incident reported in the early hours of Thursday, police were called to the Transnet shunting yard in Klerksdorp.

“A drone was used to locate the two men while the police and security guards were following them on foot. When the suspects saw the police they tried to flee but were apprehended,” police spokesperson Col Adéle Myburgh said.

A handsaw, believed to be used during the commission of the crime, was found in their possession and initial investigations revealed 10m of railway cable was cut off.

John Sam Beula, 28, and Tebo Pusetso Ntsedi, 21, appeared in the Klerksdorp magistrate’s court on Monday on charges of tampering with or destruction of essential infrastructure.

They were remanded until their next court appearance on Wednesday.

In the second unrelated incident in Stilfontein, police arrested two men allegedly found with 37.8kg of copper inside their vehicle with an estimated value of R26,000.

Khanyisa Kandile, 42, and Khanyisa Sakhe, 22, were stopped by police during a routine roadblock on the N12.

“The duo could not give a proper explanation for being in possession of the copper and were arrested. Investigations revealed that it [the copper] was allegedly stolen from an abandoned building,” Myburgh said.

Kandile and Sakhe appeared in the Stilfontein magistrate’s court on Monday on a charge of tampering with or destruction of essential infrastructure. They were remanded until their next court appearance on Thursday.

TimesLIVE    

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